Wildlife disease
Disease is described as a decrease in performance of normal functions of an individual caused by many factors, which is not limited to infectious agents.
Prion diseases are indirectly spread due to their longevity in the environment, lasting for several months once released from a host via their excretions (urine or feces).
A prominent example of direct infection is facial tumor disease in Tasmanian devils, as these marsupials will repeatedly bite other individuals in the face during the breeding season.
A major driver for transmission between species recently is wildlife trade, as many organisms that do not typically encounter each other naturally are in close proximity.
[7] The most notable example of wildlife trade impacting both animal and human health is COVID-19, originating in a wet market in Wuhan, China.
An example of a challenge identifying the pathogen is the mass mortality event in bald eagles in southeastern United States in 1994.
[11] The challenge identifying the causative agent of disease was due to the neurotoxin being isolated from the areas of outbreak, but not when grown in the laboratory until a brominate metabolite was used.
[13] Major zoonotic diseases such as rabies, COVID-19, influenza, and hemorrhagic fever are monitored to ensure both human health and safety as well as mitigation of impacts on wildlife.
[14] Proactive intervention can increase the likelihood of species survival while simultaneously preventing emerging pathogens from escalating to an epidemic.
[17][18] While easy and quick for disease management, culling has the consequence of disrupting ecosystem function and reducing biodiversity of the population due to the loss of individuals.
[20] Activists favor humane methods of prevention such as vaccination or treatment via rehab centers, as these are non-lethal forms of management.
[22][23] Such programs are also deemed beneficial for reducing the exposure of humans and domestic animals to disease and for species conservation.
Many disease epidemics have largely reduced the population of their host organisms, some even increasing the possibility of an endangered or extinct status.
